Everyone warns you about culture shock before you go abroad. They tell you about language barriers, homesickness and the confusion of navigating a foreign country. What nobody prepares you for is the reverse culture shock of returning back home.
When I returned to Cal Poly after a semester in Spain, I expected a seamless transition back into my old life. Instead, I found myself struggling with something I never anticipated: the amount of time school demands here in comparison to abroad.
Tag: culture shock
Culture Shocked: Experiencing Cal Poly as a person of color
Culture Shock: Finding strength in community By Rebecca Von Tersch Coming to Cal Poly, there were a lot of things I felt prepared for: academics, social life and everything that I anticipated about college. Culture shock was not on that list. While living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was surrounded by Asian culture […]
Cal Poly's half percent: International student enrollment
WORDS: Jenna Watson GRAPHIC: Tram Nguyen VIDEO: Erica Husting The first time a Colombian international student learned about Cal Poly’s reputation, it was through a Google search. International students at Cal Poly such as architectural engineering sophomore Emmanuel Castaño make up less than half of 1 percent of […]
Today's Top 5: From the end of social probation to Hearts and Soles Run
Access Cal Poly’s trending news stories with Today’s Top 5.
Culture shock: Adjusting to the Spaniard lifestyle
My first week in Granada has been amazing. It’s absolutely beautiful here and I’m amazed by the city’s extensive history.
Ten lessons from a quarter abroad
Journalism junior Erica Husting (1-5) and business administration junior J. J. Jenkins (6-10) both studied abroad this fall quarter – Husting in Italy and Jenkins in Spain. These are the lessons they took away from their time abroad. Lesson 1: Don’t freak out — culture shock is normal. From the moment I stepped off of […]

